The Sisters of the Good Shepherd epitomize the word “dedication” in their love for Christ, our Blessed Mother and the children in their care. In Webster’s Dictionary the word dedication is defined as: “a feeling of very strong support for or loyalty to someone or something; the quality or state of being dedicated to a person, group, cause, etc.”
St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, who believed that Go
d is like a compassionate shepherd whose love for all is boundless, founded the Good Shepherd Sisters to respond to a call to reach out to everyone and help awaken in all people a sense of each person’s unique worth and inestimable value. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd in the United States focus primarily on human services and social justice, with a particular focus on the needs of women and children. For 150 years, Good Shepherd Services has been dedicated to the belief that no matter how severe the symptoms, all children can be reached and succeed in having productive lives. Good Shepherd Services provides much needed clinical care and education to teenagers, many of whom have experienced the trauma of abuse, and bring related conditions such behavioral and/or psychiatric disorders, substance-abuse or other addictions, and learning disabilities. We offer our mission driven care in 24 hour/7 days a week treatment settings, school environments, and even in-home transitional services to children and families. Driven by his passion and love for Good Shepherd Services’ mission and his commitment to bring awareness to teenage mental health, the Chair of Good Shepherd’s Board, Frank Ryan, has committed to begin a Walk Across America on March 15, 2014 in San Diego, CA. At a daily average of about 32 miles per day, he will walk approximately 3,000 miles across the country in just 100 days. While a personal journey, the walk represents the hope to raise national awareness of the continued need to provide personalized, God-inspired care for children who have the ongoing need for emotional, behavioral and psychological healing. Frank’s walk will serve as a personal reflection on his own gifts and failings – it is truly a “Walk of Atonement and Gratitude.” He is asking for the opportunity to carry in prayer, the burden of those who have requested their own prayers during his journey. While the 100 day walk will have its own challenges and difficulties, it should give us all an opportunity to reflect on and commit to acting as a good shepherd for the lifetime of challenges many of the children we serve will face.
